Toronto Blue Jays: Uncertainty from COVID-19 plagues opening day

With opening day delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto Blue Jays fans are left in the dark about when the season will get started.

Opening day of the MLB season usually brings out different emotions but you have to believe there is a common one being expressed this year.

For Toronto Blue Jays fans, there have been many options thrown around but one thing we do know, it will be well over a month until we can think about baseball returning. The uncertainty is no easy to deal with considering what is going on globally.

The real question is determining how long the health authorities will recommend not having crowds for events. Once the green light is given where teams can get players to facilities then it sets a timeline for a window that we could see the season get underway.

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Once there is a plan of when teams will get on the field, the league will have to determine how many games will be played. If they decide to do a full season, they will have to decide if they will need to do what Scott Boras suggested and go into the month of December. 

General manager Ross Atkins pitched another idea that seemed to get attention which was to play doubleheaders with fewer innings. The Associated Press writes that by having teams play nine games a week,  they could get to162 in 18 weeks, that would be eight weeks less than usual.

Now, this idea would also mean extending the season into October which seems to be where most see as the resolution. It seems like shortening the number of games played isn’t an option people are considering because like all the sports leagues, compensation depends on it.

Another area of business that is being impacted is scouting considering the and high school college seasons are on hold. This has led to the possibility of having the draft cancelled but if you are the Blue Jays, it’s certainly not ideal.

"“We feel that we could get prepared in a short period of time based on the information that we have and be very competitive,” Atkins said when asked if the Blue Jays have enough information to conduct a draft."

With no immediate solution or a vaccine that will provide some relief to the situation, the only hope seems to be finding a way to limit the spread. At least the baseball operations staff isn’t sitting aside wondering what to do next which is probably hard to do when everything is in flux.

What are your thoughts on the uncertainty of the season? Do you expect a full season to be played? Let us know in the comments below.